Best Music Festivals

Glastonbury & 24 Other Music Festivals You Don't Want To Miss This Summer

Once winter loosens its icy grip, it’s time to venture out, let loose, and enjoy the sun as often as possible. And all of that is much more enjoyable with a great soundtrack, which perhaps explains why music festivals seem to be sprouting up like a lottery-winner’s long-lost relatives. That’s why we’ve compiled this list of the best music festivals of summer (and few beyond summer): so you can squeeze the most fun out of party season.

Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival

Several festivals offer huge lineups or massive camping grounds, but Bonnaroo marries the two like none other. Sure, there’s also Coachella, but Bonnaroo always seems decidedly less Hollywood (and cheaper) than its Cali-based counterpart. Besides a stellar lineup, Bonnaroo also offers a film tent, water slide, and a comedy tent. It’ll be hot as hell and you’ll get dirty, but after a while you won’t care one bit, letting the music wash over you like a tidal wave of good times.

CMA Music Fest

Summer fests are basically just giant parties, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find anyone who parties harder than a country-music fan armed to the teeth with domestic beer and chew. So pack your fanciest hat and a pair of shit-kicking boots, because the CMA Music Fest is going to crank up the twang at LP Field, while the city of Nashville hosts a slew of bands on its smaller stages. You can also hit up local parties such as the NRA’s Kegs and Eggs breakfast. Yes, that’s a real thing.

Firefly Music Festival

No, this fest isn’t named after the much-loved sci-fi movie that shares its name (though that would be awesome.) The relatively new Firefly Music Festival (established in 2012), has already made a name for itself with solid lineups, a laid-back vibe, and a scenic setting in the woodlands of Delaware. In addition to camping, attendees can also take advantage of an on-site craft beer bar set up by Dogfish Head Brewery, an outdoor bazaar-style market, and a tented beercade. It’s sort of like a smaller Bonnaroo, with some much-appreciated shade.

Electric Daisy Festival

If you’re going to throw a laser-fueled DJ fest that feasts on glitter, neon, and a tornado of fist-pumping, there is no better place to do it than Las Vegas. Taking over the regrets capital of the world for one June weekend (with additional stops in New York City and the UK) EDC doesn’t feel out of place in the desert one bit. That’s because today’s Vegas is just as much about late-night club-hopping as it is throwing bones at the craps table. So strap in for the ride and don’t forget to hydrate.

What the Festival

Sure, the headliners at What the Festival may not impress your pants off, but What the Festival has more going for it than you’d expect. Being set on a forested stretch of Oregon actually lets WtF get away with a lot of shenanigans — such as hoisting up the largest disco ball on the West Coast, and setting up a party-ready wading pool next to one of the stages. If hanging with bikini-clad women gets old, attendees can also check out film screenings, classes, and teatime. Basically, the name of the game here is chilling out. And we’re into it.

Warped Tour

Warped Tour loses a few points for being a traveling festival, but it also gets some extra credit for being unabashedly retro. And yes, channeling the spirit of the mid-‘90s qualifies as retro when every summer-music festival is trying to book the newest, biggest, trendiest band around. While we’re obviously already too old to recognize most of the young, tatted-up bands playing the tour, we’ll still sign up for the people watching and hi-NRG performances.

Headliners: Family Force 5, blessthefall, The Wonder Years, Riff Raff
Where: Various cities, June 19–August 8

Electric Forest

An EDM-leaning festival hosted in the woods of Michigan, Electric Forest also books plenty of guitar-toting bands to balance out its lineup. The outdoorsy setting proves to be visually stimulating since it’s dressed up with all sorts of colorful lighting, and festival goers can also expect water slides, a Ferris wheel, lots of hammocks, and even a surprise hot-air balloon ride. This year, The String Cheese Incident performs three separate shows, but there are plenty of other sets to check out if you’re not in a jammy mood.

ATP Iceland

Whatever your favorite festival is, just take a second and think about how much cooler it would be if it were hosted in Iceland. Yeah, I thought so. ATP Iceland gets massive bonus points for being hosted in one of the most beautiful places in the world, as well as putting together a great lineup that’s headed by Iggy Pop this year. Alright, to rehash: music fest + Iceland + Iggy Pop = AWESOME.

Essence Festival

New Orleans is undoubtedly one of the best music cities in America, so adding a N’awlin’s-based fest to this list is a no-brainer. The Essence Festival not only pulls together a great lineup of headliners, it also offers appearances by speakers such as Al Sharpton and India Arie. Pre-fest, attendees can hit up day parties at the Sugar Mill, which also feature a bunch of big names, such as Biz Markie, DJ Spinderella, and Funkmaster Flex.

Pitchfork Music Festival

After critiquing and sometimes even bashing hundreds of albums every year, the P4K staff has to put the money where their mouths are for one weekend by putting together a top-notch showcase. Surprisingly, they generally nail it and Pitchfork Fest remains one of the chillest festivals around, likely because the organizers actively avoid over-the-top corporate sponsorships and unchecked ticket sales that lead to crowded festival grounds. The lineup is also usually as eclectic as they come, and often features reunions of bands such as The Breeders, Pavement, and The Jesus Lizard.

Gathering of the Juggalos

While Juggalos are oftentimes the butt of many a joke, the fact is that they’ve turned their annual music fest into a pedal-to-the-metal party where there’s no such thing as ‘weird.’ So stock up on Faygo and head to the barbershop for some cornrows, because you’re going to make a ton of new friends at the Gathering of the Juggalos. Besides catching a handful of solid musical acts, attendees can check out live wrestling or attend something called the DJ Clay’s Horny Nutts and Big Butts Party. We’ll just use our imagination for that one.

Newport Folk Festival

You’ll be hard-pressed to find a fest that’s more chilled out than Newport Folk Fest, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a rockin’ good time at this historic gathering, which has been going strong since 1959. After all, this is the fest where Bob Dylan first decided to plug in his guitar for an audience. Folk (obviously), blues, country, rock, and all sorts of styles will be on display, and tons of boats pull up into the harbor to feed off the good vibes and add to the scenic backdrop.

Summerfest

Most of the fests on this list tend to party a bit harder than this annual bash thrown on the beer-soaked shores of Milwaukee. But for sheer size and value, Summerfest can’t be beat with a 12-foot oar. The festival spans 11 days and 11 stages and features corporate-sponsored attractions such as fireworks displays. Yes, you’ll be partying with flip-flop-wearing dads. You’ll also experience what is arguably the best festival lineup of the year.

KCON

Part of the allure of summer festivals is being part of the spectacle and seeing something new. KCON definitely delivers on both fronts by serving up a lineup of K-Pop artists that many casual music fans are probably not too familiar with. Regardless, the weekend of coordinated dance moves, crazy hair, and high-fructose pop melodies offers a super-sized serving of entertainment. As a bonus, attendees can also check out panels and workshops, and KCON also hits Newark, New Jersey on August 8.

Lollapalooza

Plenty of festivals have impressive lineups, huge stages, and dazzling festival grounds, but Lollapalooza still stands out from the rest for two reasons. First, it actually has a rich history that goes back to the ‘90s, and wasn’t just thrown together in the past few years when the music-fest scene exploded. Secondly, the Chicago skyline serves as a stunning backdrop to the party, and attendees can actually check out the amazing city over the weekend instead of stumbling back to a steamy tent.

OVO Fest

What if Drake invited some of his famous friends and a few thousand fans to a massive party? Well, it would pretty much look like October’s Very Own Fest, the Canadian rapper’s annual homecoming fest. In its sixth year, OVO Fest has again pulled together a respectable lineup, and will again feature a surprise special guest that’s sure to impress. In prior years, Kanye, Eminem, and Stevie Wonder have stopped by. This year, I’m betting on fellow Canadian, Celine Dion. Okay, maybe not, but I’d still have a blast seeing that.

Outside Lands

Since Outside Lands is hosted in San Francisco, it’s no surprise that it’s not exactly the most wallet-friendly festival. Still, ticket holders can also expect a memorable experience that offers what is perhaps the best foodie-friendly setup of any summer fest. Case in point: you can check out a beer section that features 32 different breweries from Northern California, a wine area with 37 regional winemakers, and local food vendors that whip up everything from oysters to chicken and waffles. Oh yeah, the lineup is pretty damn good as well.

Electric Zoo

Whether you’re a hater or a true believer, there’s no escaping EDM in today’s music landscape. Therefore, you might as well strap in for the countless drops and check out Electric Zoo, which somehow manages to make one of the world’s hardest-partying cities party even harder over Labor Day weekend. Randall Island Park serves as a verdant venue space for the fest, which also takes on a festive zoo theme. Also, huge bonus points: Billboard called it the country’s best electronic dance music festival.

Made in America

What started as a Budweiser-sponsored summer bash that was brainstormed by Jay Z has grown into a big music festival that’s sprouted a second edition in Los Angeles. Philadelphia still serves as the original host, and the past few years, attendees have been able to scope out big-name acts such as Kanye, Beyoncé, and Steve Aoki.

Bumbershoot

Grunge came from Seattle. Okay, glad I mentioned that. Now let’s move on to something more interesting: Bumbershoot. It’s one of the best music festivals in the USofA, and is also one of the many reasons that you should probably visit this gorgeous city. The fest sets up shop right smack-dab in the middle of the downtown core, at Seattle Center, which scores street cred for its lengthy history. (It’s been around in some form for the past four decades.)

Hopscotch Music Festival

Featuring an indie-heavy lineup that’s peppered with some old-school crowd pleasers (Dwight Yoakam!), the Hopscotch Music Festival is a late-summer fest that’s perfect for attendees who want to discover new, under-the-radar acts. Sure, the headliners here may not get as much attention as the hotshots from bigger fests, but Hopscotch helps support the little guys by making sure approximately 40 percent of its bands are from North Carolina.

Bestival

Just because you have “Best” in the name doesn’t mean you actually have the best festival. Or do you? Many fans of Bestival would actually back up its bold claim, since the English festival not only books an absolutely stacked lineup, but also helps to get the party started by designating a dress theme. This year, scour the closet for some Summer of Love outfits and get ready to party it up in an ambient forest, near secret stages, and with veggie-friendly grub in-hand. Can’t make it across the pond this year? Check out Bestival Toronto, July 12–13.

Austin City Limits

While South by Southwest seems to get most of the attention every year, fans of Austin City Limits don’t seem to mind one bit. That just means it’s easier for them to catch this annual bash, which takes over the city during two separate weekends. And what a bash it is. ACL’s name may not be as recognizable, but the lineups speak for themselves — 2014 featured the likes of Outkast, Eminem, Pearl Jam, Skrillex, and Calvin Harris. Looking to wind down between sets? There’s also an art market, beer hall, and farmers’ market.

CMJ Music Marathon

The CMJ Music Marathon is a bit of an outlier as far as music festivals go, since it occupies venues throughout the city and showcases up-and-coming bands in favor of big name artists. It also goes on for almost an entire week, and offers a variety of showcases, conference events, seminars, and after parties. Hell, there’s even something called the CLE Entertainment Business Law Seminar, which you not find at Coachella. As far as recognizable names go, last year’s lineup included The Kills, Cold War Kids, and Bombay Bicycle Club.

The Fest

It wouldn’t be incorrect to describe The Fest as the South by Southwest of punk music, and if that doesn’t get you excited then you’re probably a skydiving instructor or something equally crazy. Storming through the college (University of Florida) town of Gainesville during a weekend when the rest of the city is in Jacksonville watching the UF vs. Georgia football game, this whiskey-chugging, snot-shooting music fest takes over smaller stages scattered around town and transforms the city into Punk Capital USA.